Hugo Broos has revealed the reasons behind his decision to recall Mamelodi Sundowns star Themba Zwane to the Bafana Bafana squad.
On Thursday, South Africa national team head coach Hugo Broos sparked surprise when he named previously ostracized forward Themba Zwane in his 23-man squad to face to Botswana and Sierra Leone later this month.
Zwane won the last of his 28 Bafana Bafana caps back in March 2021 and has been overlooked for selection since Broos' appointment in September last year, with the coach citing the Sundowns star's age as the reason for his constant exclusion.
READ | The 23-man Bafana Bafana squad to face Botswana Sierra Leone
However, the 33-year-old has now played himself back into contention with Broos admitting that he may have been wrong not to consider the 2019/20 PSL Footballer of the Year on previous occasions.
"Only fools don't change their minds," Broos said during his squad announcement on SABC Sport. "I said a lot of things about Zwane, and certainly that he was too old.
"I came here and I tried to have a young team, I tried younger players, and every time there were questions about 'Zwane, Zwane, Zwane.' And every time I said, 'Yes, but he's 33 years old.' He will be 35 if we qualify for the AFCON.
"But, when I see him playing, maybe this is a guy we need and we can use. He's an intelligent player, he can score, and he's performing great for his team.
"I think we have to give him a chance, certainly now with (Percy) Tau who is not there, and with Fagrie Lakay, (Evidence) Makgopa and (Bongokuhle) Hlongwane who are not there. There are four strikers who are not available. I'll be honest from my side, if now I don't call Zwane...
"It's certainly not based on pressure, because if I should have called him because of pressure, then I would have done it six months ago already. So, the pressure was there from the first selection I made in September last year. Every time, the questions were there about Zwane and (Andile) Jali.
"It's not because the pressure was there but because, like I said, only fools never change their minds."
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